FAQ - Heart of gold

I don’t have any experience in the care sector, how will this affect me?

At Heart of Gold we’re looking for compassionate, caring, friendly individuals – that’s something you can’t teach! You don’t need experience within the care sector, just a compassionate nature, with an interest in people. We provide an interactive induction training course, (that all support worker attend) to help you feel confident in your role and deliver the high-quality relationship –led care that we provide. In fact, many of our support worker have looked after members of their own family and wanted to give something back to their community. It’s also important to support you, especially in the first few months; our office team and other support workers in the team are here to help whenever you need. Whether you’re new to the care sector or have spent your whole life within it you can be sure that Heart of Gold is here to support you.

What is different about Heart of Gold?

We are a care company that truly cares. Our support workers spend a minimum of an hour with our clients, so they can really get to know one another. Our service is relationship-led, with the person receiving our care at the very centre of everything we do. We also send the same support worker to each call and would never send a stranger. Before any of our support worker meet our clients they are introduced by a member of the office staff, known by both.

How are we different?

When it comes to care, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, so we don’t offer one. People are different, so we are different. It’s as simple as that. Every tiny detail of every service we offer is tailored to the needs of the person needing care, but also their close family. Our care at home services are wide ranging. Some people simply need help outside of the home, such as when they go shopping. Others may need help with personal care including: bathing, dressing, and enjoying nutritious meals. Our care and support also takes into account life changing or long term illnesses such as dementia, Parkinson’s and many others. Finally, many people we support simply want company and conversation due to loneliness, recent bereavement or for a new friend.

Why is home care good for my family?

Time spent with your loved ones in their old age should be fun, not challenging. We spend our time taking care of the essentials, so you can spend time doing the things you enjoy most. Choosing a high quality, trusted home care provider removes a great deal of the stress surrounding long term decision making for your loved ones and time after time, home care is the least expensive arrangement compared to care delivered in a residential setting.

What are the benefits of home care?

We believe care should be about having a choice and planning ahead, not about reacting to a situation or development. Sadly, all too often, accidents in the home and sudden illness are often the reason that kick starts the ‘care conversation’, often resulting in a rushed and unsuitable care decision. 71% of people would rather grow old in their own homes, but due to our society’s often ‘reactive’ approach to care, it doesn’t always work out that way. Addressing care, providing support, before it’s needed is the best way to avoid this. We’re here to help you do that.

Why is home care good for me?

It’s flexible, it’s hassle-free and it’s enjoyable.. You’ll get to stay in your community and live under your own roof, surrounded by your own things and continue to live by your own rules. One of the best things about what we do is that it doesn’t ‘feel like care’. Or at least, it doesn’t feel like what many people think care feels like. Our Care Professionals don’t wear uniforms as we believe this only accentuates the receiving of care. Although our caregivers are professional and highly trained, they carry out their duties appearing just like a friend or companion.

Is home care right for you?

If you are happy living at home, but may need some extra help with certain things, and don’t have any specific medical requirements which require nursing, then home care might be right for you!

Is home care right for you and your family?

If you are considering care for yourself, do you: wish to remain living happily at home continuing to make happy memories in familiar surroundings, live largely unsupported but need some extra support around some key activities of daily living, or need help with doing certain things in the home to live safely and independently? Then home care might be right for you! If you are thinking about care for your family member, are you: struggling to provide support yourself due to time, work, a lack of proximity to your loved one, or other pressures, looking for the time spent with you to be sociable and fun, enjoying the close bonds that come with family and friendships, concerned about the long term costs associated with residential care? Then home care might be the right option for your family.

Isn’t home care more expensive than residential care homes?

You don’t need us to tell you that some care options are often perceived as expensive. But that doesn’t mean all of them are. Home care can be a service you pay for at your choosing. You decide the level of care and support you need, as long as you want it – you only pay for the one to one care you receive rather than paying a care home provider to fund care which is shared across many individuals. When looking at it that way, home care makes for a smarter investment than residential care

What is Non-medical Care?

Heart of Gold provides non-medical care which means anything that doesn’t involve nursing intervention, such as administering injections, changing wound dressings, and taking vital sign measurements.

What is Residential Care?

Residential care involves someone leaving their home and belongings to relocate into a facility dedicated to round the clock care. Residential arrangements can vary from being able to come and go as you please to more custodial, where residents are protected from any potential safeguarding event.

What is Social Care?

Social care consists of services which support people with needs arising from illness, disability, old age or poverty. Social care can include domiciliary care, day centre provision, provision of equipment and housing options with varying levels of care. Social care is under pressure from a lack of funding and is not free at the point of use as is the case with NHS healthcare.

Why do you use the term Care Professional/who are Care Professionals?

We use the term Care Professionals because we do not necessarily recruit carers who previously have had a social care or health care background. We look for kind, caring, empathetic individuals with a loving heart who want to dedicate their time to helping care for older people. We train them to have the skills and confidence to care for older people in their own home which includes how to provide care with dignity and respect.

To help you better understand Heart of Gold, the answers to frequently asked questions follow:

Call Center

Location